The US House of Representatives has passed a bill banning imports from Uighur Muslims living in China's Xinjiang province due to their mistreatment.
According to AFP, 428 members of the House of Representatives voted in favor of the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act, while one member opposed it.
Under the Act, all companies must provide clear evidence that goods imported from Xinjiang were not manufactured under forced labor.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told members before the vote that "China is currently waging a brutal campaign against the Uighur ethnic group and other Muslim minorities."
He said that apart from Xinjiang, millions of people across China were suffering from human rights abuses such as strict surveillance, torture, solitary confinement, forced sterilization, and harassment of journalists and social workers.
Nancy Pelosi added that "goods produced by the Chinese government through exploitation of workers reach the United States."
China has repeatedly denied allegations of abuse against Uighur Muslims.The bill, passed by the US House of Representatives, will become law after President Joe Biden signs it.
The vote by US lawmakers comes as the White House has diplomatically boycotted the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.
The United States has boycotted the Winter Olympics in China over "genocide" and other human rights abuses by the Uighur minority.
A few months ago, the US government imposed similar restrictions on some imports from China over its alleged abuse of Uighur Muslims.
